Made some tussie mussies today ...

I wish they weren't called tussie mussies ... that's such a ridiculous sounding name for something. Of course, I guess they're rather ridiculous things anyway. My favorite one turned out to the pink, black and gold Casino de Paris one. It's kinda funny and innocently sexy and romantic. And I really like the vintage beaded fringe that are on the bottom with the silk ribbon streamers.

They all have a lot of vintage crepe paper - which I love - it's as soft as fabric, and silk ribbon, and Dresden scrap, and vintage trims, and vintage and reproduction papers and images, and assorted findings and fun things.

This children's one is sweet, too. The paper is a beautiful reproduction of a children-at-play toille type wallpaper. I found a lovely tiny vintage image of a child and put it in a miniature picture frame. And isn't that tiny swag of gold bullion on the frame wonderful?!


This sweet little Victorian piece has a fun piece of vintage German scrap - strawberries on the vine. Sweeeeeet! And a ton of lovely old vintage crepe papers.


And finally, a Marie Antoinette inspired piece. It's all lavender and pink and gold - and has a gorgeous piece of vintage velvet and metallic trim. The illustration of Marie Antoinette is a Tom Tierney paper doll.

Probably won't be making many more of these for awhile. For some reason, I make such a mess when I start working on these. I think it's smoothing glued paper onto a cone shape, which squeezes gel medium EVERYWHERE!

... and I really want to thank Catherine of A Thousand Clapping Hands for explaining to me the proper way to utilize the image uploader properly on this server! Thank you!

Today's Mini-"Vintage"-Theatre Construction

This little theatre was such fun ... all blue and gold and lavished with lots of Dresden scrap, silk ribbon, reproduction fringe trim, dyed feathers, and vintage images. I think I would like to put in a Marie Antoinette character - if I can find one of her done all in blue and gold, it's definitely going to happen. If not, perhaps a vintage image of an opera singer or cabaret performer who is decked out in sapphire and gold finery.

I keep getting ideas for new mini-theatres - and I really should be getting on with other projects! I have to remember Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and these theatres are not what I sell for that holiday! Perhaps this just isn't going to be a big selling holiday for me. Thank goodness the Christmas season was busy! But I need to get back to trinket boxes and tussie mussies and assemblages and shadow boxes and ...

Today's Work Included a Mini-Parisienne Show Girl Mini-Theatre

This was such fun! I love this piece - I remember how disappointed I was by the Folies Bergeres Paris when when we were there (not Moulin Rouge though! - even the iconic red windmill is still there!). This is what I wanted the Folies to be - red and gilt with sexy black accents and over-the-top decoration. Alas, now it's all mirrors and light shows and just looks like another over-produced Vegas act. Oh, well. Anyway.

This piece, which again starts out as papier mache, uses antique sheet music, vintage and reproduction papers, Dresden scrap, gold silk ribbon wrapped around the columns, French millinery netting, rhinestones, miniature crepe paper flowers, jet beading, feathers and assorted findings.

The lovely showgirl is a reproduction of a vintage piece that I purchased a long time ago from Altered Pages - a terrific resource for vintage images, as well as other goodies to make stuff out of! I ended up bracing her with teensy tiny dowels so that she can stand upright on her own. I get a kick out of her pose - I'm not sure if she's displaying her lavishly feathered costume, the theatre, or her own - um - assets. Whichever, she's definitely quite proud! If you click on the image (as with all the images on my blog), it will open a larger image which makes it easier to see.

I think I spent too much time today running around and shopping for little elements that I needed to get as much stuff accomplished as I would like. I had hoped to get all the characters finished for all the other theatres I built this week. I only have three or four more mini-theatres to construct, and then I must get to work on trinket boxes, as they're always a popular selling item for me around Valentines Day.

I have some ideas for some teeny tiny two inch square trinket boxes which should be a lot of fun to put together - or else drive me up the wall! We shall see!

Midnight In the Forest Mini-Theatre

I finally completed the woodland theatre ... now it just needs a sprite of some sort to move in and make this his neighborhood of choice!

I'm finding this piece particularly hard to photograph, because there is so much clear glass glitter and gold leaf flakes, causing too much reflection for a good photo. I love the vintage man-in-the-moon image and it was fun working with the moss and branches and natural elements.

If I were a doll-maker, which I am decidedly not and have no desire to be!, I would make a Titania swinging in her bower of flowers for this theatre. Maybe I can make an articulated paper-doll of Titania for it!

I think when I return from my errands, I'm going to give one of those ham cans a piece of my mind! - or my imagination, anyway!

Black and White Pierrot Mini Theatre

Last night I started working on a small black and white theatre which might display a Pierrot or Pirouette paper doll puppet. I had planned on it being tiny, but the more I started playing with the black and white papers and trims and beads and feathers, I decided it really needed to be a larger theatre. So it grew into this 16" display theatre. I took a detail photo of the balcony, because I think the Dresden scrap 'railing' and and the antique jet beading trim are especially lovely. I found the black button that is in the middle of the back wall at an antique shop years ago and it's finally found a home. It's multi-faceted and looks like a big jet bead - though I don't believe it is. I think this is going to be a really pretty mini vintage theatre. Jon asked me if I was going to put a "splash of red" on it and I said that I hadn't planned on it. However, the idea of a black and white and red piece intrigues me, so I'm sure there is going to be one of them this year!

Today's Mini-"Vintage"-Theatre Construction

I was going to work on doing an out-doors-y sort of woodland faery theatre piece.

But, it just seemed to get fancier and fancier as I went along, and it turned out a tad too royal for a forest scene.

I think maybe it's going to require a Marie Antoinette character inside it ...

I used papier mache (as usual) for the basic structure, and added vintage and handmade papers, a beautiful piece of antique brass filigree, an Anna Griffin crown embellishment, glass fringe in the shape of leaves, crepe paper, silk ribbon (for the bunting) and paper-and-ribbon covered dowels for the columns. As I look at it more and more, I think that maybe I'll need to add something to the facing of the balcony to add to the rhinestones. They're looking a little lonely there by themselves.

I guess now I'll need to see if I can get that natural forest-y stage structure started!

Beginning of a New "Vintage" Theatre

This is the framework of a new theatre piece. It's 9" tall thus far, but I may put a wider base on it, which would make it 1/2" - 3/4" taller.

I've used papier mache, vintage and handmade papers, lots of Dresden scrap to create the balcony area architecture, vintage crepe paper for the ruffled valance, a pretty cut out from an old ad for the framed detail on the top, and a nice piece of twisted cord in the corner of the floor and the wall. There is also quite a bit of shiny clear glitter used - and the 'floor' of the balcony area is covered with German glass glitter.

I have an order coming from Birds of a Feather for ruffled crepe paper. But I didn't have any this morning, so I gathered this crepe paper myself. I don't think I'll do that again ... it took almost 1/2 hour to gather just a tiny length to go under the balcony! Sometimes, starting completely from scratch just isn't worth it!

Now, I think I'll leave this to sit on a studio shelf for a while and begin work on another stage. I like to be able to see the little stages for a while before I decide what kind of characters, scenery, and/or decorations they call out for to be completed. It also gives them a good long time to dry hard and sturdy. I remember once I couldn't wait to get going and the whole thing collapsed because I hadn't given the infrastructure time to cure. I learned my lesson! Sometimes haste really does create the proverbial! I'm thinking this one is going to require some regal characters, so perhaps I should think about doing a faery woodland theatre next and keep myself on my toes!

I started pulling out my vintage ribbons and trims and papers and my Dresden scrap and fringes and everything else that would fit on my work table. I made this little Victorian trinket box out of a small papier mache box. This is the first piece of 2009 stuff for the Open Studios art space open houses. We're having a debate here about whether the wooden legs and the wooden knob on top need more done to them. I, of course, always believe that more is more and more is good.

What do you think? Should I keep piling on stuff, or leave it as is?